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The right front yard landscaping can accentuate any house, especially one with the simple lines of a classic ranch. Landscaping can soften edges and angles, provide a welcoming entry to the house and even delineate garden spaces. The key to making good landscaping choices is to remember proportion, keying landscape elements to the size of the house and lot. Other important considerations include budget and the availability of money and time for maintenance of landscape elements.

Front Entrance

Hardscaping is one of the first elements included in any landscape plan. A straight walkway gets people to the front door efficiently, but a curved walk softens the angularity of the house. In a neighborhood of older homes, for example, a curved walk of stone or brick may fit the neighborhood better than a straight concrete walk. In either case, the walk can be flanked by garden beds or borders of small shrubs, like Korean box (Buxus sinica), hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture hardiness zones 4 through 9.

Trees

Tall shade trees can keep a house cool and accentuate property value and appearance, but make sure that the tall tree has enough root room. Position the tree or trees so that roots will not interfere with the home's foundation or with front walkways or sidewalks. If there is not room for a large tree, consider smaller specimens that offer multiple seasons of interest. One good variety is western redbud (Cercis occidentalis), which features purple-pink spring blooms and bright yellow fall color. It grows to 15 feet tall and is hardy in USDA zones 7 through 10.

Foundation Plantings

One of the most common landscape mistakes is planting shrubs too close to the house and allowing them to grow large enough to obscure windows. Foundation plantings can be composed entirely of well-chosen shrubs or contain mixed groupings of shrubs, perennials, annuals and even grasses. One good evergreen shrub is Oregon grape holly (Mahonia aquifolium), hardy in zones 5 through 10 and featuring blue fruits and foliage that is reddish in winter. Another good flowering evergreen is flannel bush (Fremontodendron californica), which features yellow spring flowers and gray-green foliage. It is hardy in zones 6 through 10.

Garden Areas

If you are a gardener, replace front yard lawn grass or groundcover with garden areas. These can take the form of perimeter beds with undulating or curving edges to soften the angular lines of the ranch house. A corner bed, anchored by a shrub or small tree and planted with colorful annuals, like California poppy (Eschscholzia californica), hardy in zones 6 to 10, can serve as a landscape accent. If the front yard is sunny and you want a vegetable or herb garden, incorporate it into the overall scheme, even mixing edible and ornamental species.

About the Author

Elisabeth Ginsburg, a writer with over 20 years' experience, earned an M.A. from Northwestern University and has done advanced study in horticulture at the New York Botanical Garden. Her work has been published in the "New York Times," "Christian Science Monitor," "Horticulture Magazine" and other national and regional publications.